1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to photovoltaic elements and, more specifically, to a method and apparatus for applying an electric field to a photovoltaic element.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional photovoltaic cell is configured to convert solar energy to electrical energy by photovoltaic effect. A typical photovoltaic cell is encapsulated as a module that includes a sheet of glass on a front side for protecting a semiconductor device from the environment while enabling light to enter the semiconductor device that performs the light to electric current conversion. The conversion is performed at a P-N junction of the semiconductor device. The conversion is very inefficient (i.e., typically less than 20% of the energy of the photons is converted to electric current). To enhance the efficiency of converting light to electric current, an electric field can be applied across the P-N junction. However, in a typical installation of a practical power generation system, a DC power source is not readily available at the location of a photovoltaic cell to supply DC voltage to form the electric field.
Accordingly, there is a need for a method and apparatus for applying an electric field to a photovoltaic element.